The Billionaire's Ultimatum: His Absolute Need (A BDSM Erotic Romance Novel) (Book One) (22 page)

"S
o, this
is your apartment?" Jeremy asked me.

I tossed my keys
on the kitchen counter and looked around.  Sure, it was nothing compared to the
Landseer estate, but I liked it.  The living room, kitchen, and dining area
were actually all one combined room, separated by a countertop.  I sectioned
off the living room and my circle dining table with a couch to elude to the
existence of separate rooms, but it wasn't that great.  It worked, and
sometimes I had people over for dinner, but I kind of wished I had an actual
dining room.

Still, the place
looked nice enough.  I kept it clean and my furniture was only a few years
old.  I never watched TV, but I had an older CRT TV in a rustic looking entertainment
center against the wall for when guests came over.  Granted, I didn't have
cable(since I never used it), but Redbox or my DVD collection solved most
problems there.

I used to think
all of this was good up until Jeremy peered around my apartment with a funny
look on his face.

"What?"
I asked.  "Yes, this is my apartment."

"It's kind
of small," he said.

"I live by
myself.  I don't need a big place."

"Is there
another room?  Is this it?"  He stepped past the "dining area"
and into the "living room."

"My
bedroom, then the bathroom.  I can't... I mean, I know that Asher's place is
nicer, but it's hard for someone like me to afford more than this.  I think
it's..."

"Oh,"
he said, frowning.  "No, no.  I didn't mean it like that.  I guess...
well, I only have a room of my own at Asher's, anyways, so I don't know what
I'm going on about.  It's a nice place, though.  Looks cozy.  Not a ton of room
to move around, but I guess that's what going out is for, right?"

I rolled my
eyes.  "Thanks."

"So,"
he said, sitting at the table.  "What was that before?  Why did you run me
out of the bookstore?  You were so excited to go in, and then..."

"Yeah..." 
I trailed off, remembering it.  Maybe I shouldn't tell him.  Except I felt like
I really needed to tell someone.  It was definitely them, Asher's wife,
Beatrice, and his director of public relations, Solomon Royce.  I'd
inadvertently happened upon them at my favorite independent bookstore, which
was odd enough, but after overhearing their conversation it became even
stranger.  I didn't even know what to think about it.  Maybe I was going crazy
or something.  That seemed like a more logical explanation than the truth.

"Do you
want cookies?" I asked.  "With milk, of course."

"Sure,"
Jeremy said.  "Yeah, why not?  Sounds nice."

I poured us both
a glass of milk and dug through my cupboards for a box of Russian tea cookies
while thinking about what to tell him.  How should I start?  With the
beginning, I supposed, except it sounded weird.  Oh, yes, I just overheard,
and...

I handed Jeremy
his glass of milk, sat alongside him at the table, and put the box of cookies
between us.

"These are
cookies?" he asked, plucking one of the confection sugar-covered balls
from the box.  "Huh."

"Some
people call them cakes, but they're harder like cookies.  I don't really care
what they are, but they're delicious."

He nibbled on
one, then lifted his brow.  "Huh."  Dunking it into his milk, he
plopped the rest of it in his mouth and chewed.

"Right,
so..."  I looked at the box of cookies and considered stuffing one in my
mouth to waste time while I chewed it.  "Alright, listen.  I know what I'm
about to say won't make any sense, but I swear it's true.  I saw Beatrice and
Solomon in the bookstore.  I overheard them talking."

Jeremy nearly
choked on a mouthful of milk.  He coughed and spluttered and I gasped and
yelled at him to raise his hands in the air.

When he seemed
alright again, he said, "That's strange.  Are you sure about... I mean...
I'm not saying I don't believe you, but I can't imagine why either of them
would be there."

"I don't
really know why they were there, either," I said.

"Fair
enough.  So, let's say they were there.  What did you hear?"

I explained it
to him.  I didn't know the exact specifics, but it sounded like something involving
an affair, an attempt to ruin Landseer Enterprises, and then Beatrice's
inevitable divorce from Asher.  I knew it sounded insane, but I really needed
to tell someone.

Jeremy stared at
me long and hard.  "Maybe we need to take you to a doctor besides the in
vitro specialist," he said.

"This isn't
a time for jokes!"  I grabbed a cookie from the box and chomped on it
hard, crushing it into pieces.  "I wouldn't just say this, alright?" 
Powdered sugar sputtered from my mouth to the table.  I glowered and finished
eating my cookie, then added, "I don't know why they were there, either,
but I know it happened.  You don't have to believe me.  I swear I'm not trying
to pull anything.  I just... I don't know what to do, you know?  Do I do
anything?  Do I just ignore it?  If I tell Asher, he'd just look at me funny
and get mad, don't you think?  I wouldn't blame him if he did."

Jeremy took a
drink of his milk, wiped his lips with the cuff of his sleeve, and sighed. 
"Look, first off, Asher wouldn't look at you funny or get mad.  He
probably wouldn't believe you, but he's a nice guy, so he'd at least listen. 
The problem is that right after he'd talk to Beatrice about it.  And, if what
you said happened, then she'd obviously lie to him.  So we can't do that."

"Does this
mean you believe me?" I asked.

"I don't
not believe you," he said.  "Let's leave it at that.  I wouldn't be
surprised if Beatrice was planning something like this, but I don't know you
that well, either.  I like you, don't get me wrong, and you seem nice,
but..."

"No, no, I
understand.  Thanks for listening and not yelling at me.  I really appreciate
it."

"What we
have to do," he said, "is figure out what exactly is going on.  With
evidence, preferably.  If that's even possible, I have no idea.  You have to
understand and agree that maybe you misheard, too.  Also, maybe it was someone
else entirely in that room.  People that sounded similar, or with the same
names, right?  It happens."

"No." 
I shook my head.  "When, um, when I kissed you in the alley, you
remember?  It was because I saw Beatrice and Solomon walking past.  I didn't
want them to realize it was us."

"I just
figured I was irresistibly attractive," he said, smirking.  "I guess
your reason makes more sense, though.  You and I totally wouldn't work out
together.  Sorry.  I wish I'd seen them, though.  It'd make this easier."

"Yeah,"
I said.  "Sorry about that.  I didn't know what to do."

"Eh, it's
fine.  I got a kiss from a beautiful woman out of it, so who am I to
complain?"

I hit him in the
shoulder and pursed my lips.  "Shut up."

"I was
giving you a compliment!"

"Right. 
Sure.  Whatever."  I stood up, grabbing a cookie for good measure. 
"I have to call my mother to tell her what's going on, but after can you
help me pack some things and maybe we can think of something?  Maybe it's
nothing, but it's good to have a plan, right?"

"Yeah,"
Jeremy said.  He smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up.  "Don't worry. 
Asher's a tough guy.  Everything will work out in the end.  He didn't get rich
from dumb luck or anything.  He knows what's up."

I smiled.  Yes,
he must.  Asher was kind and nice and interesting and fun, maybe a little
domineering, but he was other things, too.  He had business savvy, of course,
and knew how to navigate the corporate world with ease.  One thing really
bothered me, though.

"Solomon
Royce has done good work for me, though I don't understand his methods
exactly," Asher had said.  "Always away doing this or that, sparking
interest in company holdings, doing press releases, that kind of thing.  I
couldn't manage any of it for the life of me, so I'm glad to have him, but
sometimes it's confusing since I don't understand most of what his reports are
about."

Maybe I was
worrying over nothing, but it seemed like Solomon could easily pull something
if he wanted.  If he slipped it into a report, disguised it so that Asher
wouldn't even bother to notice, then it could be disastrous.  Asher said he
trusted Solomon and that the director of public relations had done good work
for him in the past, so why would he suddenly stop trusting him?  If Solomon
wanted to sabotage Landseer enterprises through faulty reporting, Asher
probably wouldn't even bother to double check and try to understand the PR
reports until it was too late.

I walked to my bedroom
contemplating that.  Falling onto my bed, I snatched the cordless phone from my
nightstand and dialed my mother's number.

"Jessika,"
my mother said.  "I've tried calling you.  Where have you been?  What are
you doing home this early.  Shouldn't you be working?"

"Mom,"
I said.  "Yes, about that.  There's... well, I found a job.  It's um,
maybe more permanent."

"Oh?"

Right.  A job. 
That's how I'd spin it.  "So I met a man," I said, figuring I should
start with that.

"You're not
moving to Las Vegas or something, are you honey?  I don't care how attractive
he is, if he says you can make it far as a stripper he's just trying to use
you."

"Ugh!  Are
you serious?  No, I'm not moving to Las Vegas and I'm not becoming a
stripper."

"You were a
really good dancer.  You could probably do it if you wanted to.  Have you
looked into that?  I've heard those girls are really nice and you can make a
lot of money."

"Mom, I'm
not going to be a stripper.  You need to be attractive for that."

I could almost
see my mom shaking her head on the other side of the phone.  "No, that's
not true.  They have um... waffleface?"

"Butterface,"
I corrected.

"Oh!  Yes,
that's it.  Not that you are one, but if you've got nice breasts then it
doesn't matter.  I'm your mother, so I know these things, and I bet men would
definitely like your breasts.  Just don't become one of those crackwhores,
alright?  Promise me that."

"Mom. 
Listen, please.  I'm not even becoming a stripper.  This isn't about that.  I
met a man and he's rich, alright, and..."

"Oh, so
he's like a sweetdaddy.  That sounds nice."

"Sugardaddy,"
I corrected.  "And, no.  Um.  So, he has a wife, right?"

"Are you
having an affair with a married man, Jessika?"

I blushed.  Oh
God, my mother already knew about my indiscretions with Asher and I hadn't even
told her.  "Would you let me finish?" I said.  Better to change the
subject, really.

"Alright. 
So you met a man and he's rich and he has a wife.  I can't see where this is
going if you aren't having an affair with him."

I ignored the
last part.  "They want children, but his wife... she can't.  There's
problems, right?  So he asked me if I'd consider doing, um..."

"Oh.  I
read about that in the paper.  There was an ad looking for women to donate
eggs.  That's really nice.  So you're doing that?  That's probably better than
being a stripper, honey.  I don't think you could handle taking your clothes
off in a room full of men."

"Yeah,"
I said, blinking twice, frowning.  This was going easier than I thought. 
"Yeah, so I'll do that.  I'd be a surrogate, too.  His wife, she doesn't
really want to carry the baby to term, either.  Um... it's about a year long,
nine months and everything and... maybe I'll be a nanny after, you know? 
Because I've always wanted to try and get more into book stuff.  I'd really
like to see if I can do it.  This way, if I'm living there and helping out,
I'll have a little more free time."

"Just don't
let his wife catch you having an affair with him, alright?  I don't want to
read about you in the tabloids."

"Mom! 
We're not having an affair!  I... we just watched a movie once, and I slept in
his guest home.  It's..."

"Oh, no,
don't tell me about the affair.  I don't want reporters hounding me if you get
caught.  I'd rather know nothing so they can't get information out of
me."  My mother laughed when I groaned.  "So who's this man?  What's
his name?"

"Asher,"
I said.  "Asher Landseer.  He owns Landseer Enterprises."

"Oo~oh,"
my mother said.  "An older man.  Close, though.  I just saw an article on
him.  He's one of the richest men under thirty.  Twenty-eight to be exact. 
That's good.  Dating an older man is usually best since I find the maturity
levels mix better."

"I'm
twenty-four.  He's not that much older.  Also, we aren't dating."

"No, no, of
course not.  But when you start dating and having your affair, I'll
approve."

"I'm
hanging up now.  I'm done with this conversation."

My mom laughed. 
"I'm glad you're doing well, Jessika.  So you're going to stay at Asher's
place?  That's nice.  Is there a phone there?  I want to be able to call you. 
Also, I need to talk to him, you tell him that.  I don't care that he's rich,
but if my daughter is staying at someone's house and doing this egg thing for
him and his wife, I want to know who they are."

"You could
always, oh, I don't know, Google him.  I'm sure there's plenty of
information."

"Google
can't tell me if someone is nice, Jessika.  He might be faking it.  When I talk
to him I'll know for sure.  Trust me on this, I'm your mother."

"Right. 
Bye mom.  Love you."

"I love
you, too.  Be safe."

I hung up the
phone and let it fall into its receiver.  That hadn't gone at all like I
expected, but I was glad it went alright.  I thought she'd be more... upset? 
Maybe not upset, but concerned.  Not that she had any reason to be, or not that
I thought she had a reason, but still.